1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a throttle controller for controlling a throttle (valve) in a vehicle comprising an automatic transmission.
This application is based on Patent Application No. Hei 9-353787 filed in Japan, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in conventional vehicles comprising an automatic transmission having a hydraulic torque converter, when the throttle (valve) thereof is opened in accordance with the amount of force exerted on the accelerator pedal while the gear lever is in a driving gear (or setting), the driving force of the engine is transmitted via the torque converter, clutch, and the like, to the wheels. Japanese Patent Application, First Publication, No. Hei 7-332479 discloses an example of such an automatic transmission, which comprises a lock-up clutch controller.
In addition, under some conditions in a driving gear, a vehicle may be started by releasing the brake pedal from the so-called stall state, that is, a state in which both the brake and accelerator pedals are simultaneously depressed.
When the vehicle is in the stall state and driving force occurs in accordance with the amount of force exerted on the accelerator pedal, a large load is imposed on the drive and transmission system including the torque converter, clutch, and the like. This problem often most notably occurs when the degree of depression of the accelerator (pedal) is relatively large.
In addition, when the vehicle is started from the stall state by releasing the brake, the vehicle is immediately (or abruptly) accelerated as a result of receiving a large driving force. Therefore, also in this case, significant stress is imposed on the drive and transmission system including the torque converter, clutch, and the like. Furthermore, the driving efficiency may be reduced due to such an immediate or abrupt start in the above case.